When Americana-rocker Steve Earle opened his concert Thursday at Sellersville Theater 1894 with the title track of his new album “The Low Highway,” his first song indicated it might be a far different set from his wonderful Sands Bethlehem Event Center show in April.

With barely spoken vocals over mournful fiddle and pedal steel guitar, one could have thought Earle might scale back his set to fit the confines of the sold-out 300-capacity venue. (Ironically, only about 200 fewer than saw him at the 2,550-capacity Sands.)

But with the next song, Earle put those thoughts to rest.

Steve Earle at Sellersville Theater 1894 on ThursdayPhotos by Brian Hineline/Special to The Morning Call

Earle and his band The Dukes and Duchess barreled into “21st Century Blues,” also from the new disc – drummer Will Rigby thumping, guitarist Chris Masterson ablaze and Earle snarling out lyrics of both condemn and hope: “We stand now on the verge of history/The world can be anything that we want it to be.”

Songs such as the latter made up far more of Earle’s amazing two-hour, 30-song show that, while far more intimate than the one at The Sands, was in many ways just as big -- longer and with more songs.

From left, Eleanore Whitmore, Chris Masterson and Earle

In fact, the next seven songs were largely as strong. Earle served up some of the best from the new album : “Calico County,” with overtones of Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues”; a rousing and rollicking “That’s All You Got”; and a jaunty ragtime “Love’s Gonna Blow My Way.”

And he served up some from his incredible catalog, which now stretches more than 25 years: “Taney Town” was a blast of harmonica and fiddle – the latter instrument played by The Duchess, Eleanor Whitmore. He spit out the lyrics to “I Thought You Should Know,” which he sang while playing no harmonica.

And “Hard Core Troubadour” was among the best of the night, as Earle growled and hollered the lyrics over a Buddy Holly groove that was so infectious that Masterson jumped to accompany Earle at the mic as if he couldn’t control himself. Masterson, by the way, was great all night, with turns on pedal steel and even bass.

Earle, left, and drummer Will Rigby

Earle played all 12 songs from “The Low Highway,” and the fact that so many held up to his best speaks of how strong the new disc is.

“Pocket Full of Rain,” which he said is his first recorded turn at keyboards and for which he sat to play piano, was very strong, as was “Burning It Down,” the lyrics of which talk about what should be done to Wal-Marts that are putting local retailers out of business.

With such a long set, not every song was of that caliber. But even the lessor songs such as the new “Invisible” and “After Mardi Gras” and turns by Rigby on “Ricky Skaggs Tonight” and bassist Kelley Looney on “Free Men” weren’t bad, just not as great as so many of the other songs.

And there were many great ones. On “Ben McCulloch,” Masterson was outstanding, and Rigby pounded his kit with brushes, making more sound than most drummers do with sticks. On “You’re Still Standing There,” Whitmore did well singing the duet part originally done by Lucinda Williams, and Earle added strong harmonica.

But the highlight of the show came mid-set, when Earle paired a stunningly good “Guitar Town,” the title track from his 1986 debut, with his biggest hit, “Copperhead Road.”

The former was astonishing roots rock, with Earle, Masterson and Looney lined up at the front of the stage to play. And ”Copperhead Road” is a bona fide classic: The opening organ, then mandolin, sending chills through the crowd, and Rigby kicking in with a thump. The band barreled through the middle, with Earle barking and howling on the vocals.

The main set ended almost as strong. After a warm “Warren Helman’s Banjo” – the new disc’s tribute to the philanthropy of the eponymous billionaire on which Earle, indeed, played banjo – and “Little Emperor,” the biting shot at George W. Bush, Earle kicked into a very good “Billy and Bonnie.”

That moved right into “Mystery Train Part II,” with strong violin by Whitmore and Masterson again kicking on guitar, and right into another of the night’s best, “The Galway Girl.” That song shows what Earle does best, singing alternately smooth and barking, the song’s vague Gaelic music wonderfully behind him.

The set closed with a paring of the new “Down the Road Part II” and “Down the Road” from Earle’s debut disc – a hard-to-miss comment on the consistency of Earle’s music, as he finished with an a cappella chorus.

Two encores brought four more songs, and all were stellar. The first opened with “I’m Still in Love With You,” another nice duet with Whitmore, then played the touching new “Remember Me” – a prayer for significance in the life of his young son – alone on acoustic guitar. And then a rousing cover of The Band’s “Rag Mama Rag.”

The second encore – “We got time for one more before they run us out of town,” Earle said – was another highlight: A burning, stinging and stunning “The Revolution Starts Now.” Loud, abrasive rock that Earle finished with a raised fist, it was not at all like most of the night’s other songs.

Nor was it in any way scaled back for the confines of a 300-capacity venue.

You should have told your readers how much better the sound was in 300 seat theater compared to the Sands convention center. ST94 is one of best around the L.V. Plus ticket prices are much more reasonable.

Posted By: sudden9 | Aug 24, 2013 12:11:52 PM

The Sands is a travesty of a music venue. A cynical concrete rectangle with folding chairs. Pathetic. God bless Steve Earle and his great band for coming back to the area in a real concert hall. Wish I had known about this show before I put out $ for the mediocre sound at "The Sands".

Posted By: tomaxe | Aug 29, 2013 5:00:29 PM

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JOHN J. MOSER has been around long enough to have seen the original Ramones in a small club in New Jersey, U2 from the fourth row of a theater and Bob Dylan's born-again tours. But he also has the number for All-American Rejects' Nick Wheeler on his cell phone, wrote the first story ever done on Jack's Mannequin and hung out in Wiz Khalifa's hotel room.

OTHER CONTRIBUTORS

JODI DUCKETT: As The Morning Call's assistant features editor responsible for entertainment, she spends a lot of time surveying the music landscape and sizing up the Valley's festivals and club scene. She's no expert, but enjoys it all — especially artists who resonated in her younger years, such as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Tracy Chapman, Santana and Joni Mitchell.

KATHY LAUER-WILLIAMS enjoys all types of music, from roots rock and folk to classical and opera. Music has been a constant backdrop to her life since she first sat on the steps listening to her mother’s Broadway LPs when she was 2. Since becoming a mother herself, she has become well-versed on the growing genre of kindie rock and, with her son in tow, can boast she has seen a majority of the current kid’s performers from Dan Zanes to They Might Be Giants.

STEPHANIE SIGAFOOS: A Jersey native raised in Northeast PA, she was reared in a house littered with 8-tracks, 45s and cassette tapes of The Beatles, Elvis, Meatloaf and Billy Joel. She also grew up on the sounds of Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw and can be found traversing the countryside in search of the sounds of a steel guitar. A fan of today's 'new country,' she digs mainstream/country-pop crossovers like Lady Antebellum and Sugarland and other artists that illustrate the genre's diversity.